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Some Birds and Mammals 



'^ T'WlliCH DBTKUY FISH AND GAMB, 



BY 



Dr. B. H. WaRRBN, State Zoologist. 



[Reprint from Report of Pennsylvania Commissioners of Fisheries, 1897.] 



; 'ilS^'^^^ 



-^WfiiJl 



CLARENCE M. BUSCH, 

state printer of pennsylvania. 

June. 1897. 



►-S^ 








BARRED OWL. 



No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 215 



SOME IIIKDS AND MAMMAL^? WHK'H DKSTKOY 
FISH AND GAME 



By B. IT. WARREN, State Zoologist. 



As many of oiu' citizens, pai'ticuhii'ly fislieruieii, seem lo labci- 
under tlie impiessiou that ihe dainagr annually done tO' tisli by 
different kinds of birds and mammals is of a serious character, the 
writer has durinj;- tlie hist three years been collecting all reliable 
data possible on the subject. 

Some time ago the Department of Agriculture distributed 
throughout th(* Stale a circular asking for information as to the 
damage done by the tisli-destroying birds and mammals. In re- 
s' j'onse to these circulars several hundred answers were received and 
from them, it is found that the injury, contrary to prevalent impres- 
sion, is not of a veiy serious nature. In fact, from our investiga 
tions, the mink and kinghsher. both of which are quite; plentiful, 
in suitable localities, throughout the State, may be said to be about 
the only ones which commit very noticeable depredations to the 
tinny inhabitants of our streams and ponds. The otter, it is true, 
subsists ])iiucipally on the tisli diet, but otters are so rare in this 
Commonwealth, that the mischief they do is but trilling. Tlie 
hei'ons, or at least cei'tain species, no doubt destroy a large nuinbei' 
of fish, but they also are so few in numbers that the loss annually 
from rheii- ])resence, (and the same is ti'ue of loons, grebes and 
several other species of our feathered fishermen) is certainly not, 
noi- do T believe it ever will be, a source of danger to the increase 
of the finny denizens of our Avaiers. The illegal taking of fish in 
vaiious ways practiced continually in Pennsylvania, by individuals 
who seem to have little or no regard for the statutes, which remain 
inoperative mainly because our law-makeis do not ruake sufficient 
ajjpropriations to enable the P.oard of Fisli ('ommissioners to }»i()])- 
cily enforce tlw present laws, causes a hundred times over more loss 
every year than all the tish-eating birds and four-footed animals 
that have a p(M-manent or tem])orai-y residence within the buuiidaries 
of our State. 

BIRDS OF PREY. 

Fully twenty ditferent s])ecies of eagles, hawks and owls occur 
regularly in r'-nnsylvania. Some, sncji as the screcM-h, barred and 
great horned owls and the red-tailed liawk. ai-e with ns during all 



216 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 

seasons, while others, ioi exani})]e tlie short-eared u-wl and (isfh 
hawk, are usually present only during a portion of the year. 

Birds of prey subsist wluilly on animal food. A few species are 
detrimental, as they live larj^uly on poultry, game — bo-th furred and 
feathered — and many kinds of small wild song biids; but other spe- 
cies of raptorial birds, which are common neither as residents or 
migrants, are mostly highly beneficial, as their food has been found, 
from careful investigations, to be made up mainly of destructive 
rodents, injurious beetles, grasshoppers, etc. 

So far as the osprey or fish hawk and the bald eagle are concerned 
there, of course, is no doubt about their fish-eating propensities, but 
neither of these birds are sufficiently numerous in our State to com- 
mit depredations worthy of notice. Few birds have been studied 
by naturalists with more care than have the birds of prey. Tlie 
post-mortem examinations of the viscera of hundreds of them, to- 
gether with observatioius in the field, have clearly shown that cer- 
tain s}>ecies. other than the osprey and bald eagle, will sometimes 
catch and feed on fish. 

CROWS AND BLACKBIRDS. 

Investigations have proven that the common crow and his yellow- 
eyed relatives the crow blackbirds, both omnivoro'us in their habits, 
will occasionally repair to shallow waters and catch small fry, which 
they devour. As fishermen, however, neither of these species c;in 
be called experts, and the numebi' of fish they catch is certainly 
not large. 

THE GREBES. 

Grebes may easily be recognized by the beautiful silvery-white 
plumage C'f the breast and abdcmien, the paddle-like feet, which are 
not webbed like those of a loon or duck, and the rudimentary tail 
which consists of a small tuft of downy feathers. 

Grebes, during the spring and autumn migrations, occur generally 
throughout the State, particularly aboait the larger streams, lakes 
and mill-ponds, and during mild winters birds of this family are 
often seen about rivers and large ponds in the southern portion of 
the CommonAvealth, 

Although these birds are usually observed singly or in pairs, occa- 
sionally a good-sized flock is to be found. In relation to the grebes 
in general it can be stated that unless flying they ai*e almost always 
to be seen in the water. The several species of this family, owing to 
the posterior situation of their legs, move with considerable diffi- 
culty when on the ground, over wliicli I hey go in a slow, flouudering 
manner. 



Xo. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 217 

Gi-ebes, like some other kinds of aquatic birds, when wounded, 
will conceal themselves in weeds and grasses, which grow so luxu- 
riantly in their favorite watery retreats, where they will remain for 
a considerable period of time with only their slender, tapering bills 
above the water's surface. Tliey swim and dive with the utmost 
facility; when swimming beneath the water's surface, either in 
quest of prey or to escape capture, it is said they use their wings 
in the same manner as when flying in the air. Their well known 
habit of diving when alarmed, and particularly when shot at, has 
won for them the common name of "Hell-divers." 

The Gi-ebe's nest consists of a thick, matted mass of vegetation, 
such as reeds, flags, grasses, etc. !r?ometimes the nest is built close 
to the water, but usually, according to Mr. Ridgway, it is to be 
fnund floating u})on the surface of the water in grassy or sedgy 
ponds or marshes. The same authority describes the eggs as fol- 
lows: "2-5, dull-white, bluish-white, or very pale bluish-green, usually 
siained uiorc oi- le^s (often quite deeply) with light brown, by ccvu- 
tact with decomposed vegetable matter." With the exception of the 
Pied-billed grebe representatives of this family occurring in Penn- 
sylvania bi-eed generally north of the United States. (Irebes subsist 
(ni tish, frogs, various aquatic insects — especially beetles — and tO' 
a limited extent on different water plants. 

They confer no special benefits, nor are they in any particular 
detrimental to agricultural interests. Their flesh, quite tough, and 
disagreeable to the taste, is seldom eaten; the feathers, hoAvever, are 
(•(insiderably used by millinei-s, and by furriers for muffs, etc. For 
these purposes the silvery-white plumage of the breast and abdomen 
is taken. 

During the past three years the writer has examined the stomach 
contents of twenty-seven grebes and found that eight of this number 
had in their food receptacles the remains of fish with the other food 
materials ))i('vi()usly indicated. 

THE LOONS. 

Loons live almost habitually in the water; they dive with won- 
derful rai)idity and skill, and are also remarkable for their ability 
to swim long distances under the water, especially when en- 
deavoi'ing to ','lude their enemies. As divers they are the most 
expert of all bii'ds. They retii'e during the summer season to high 
boreal regions to r<'ar their ycaing, and as cold weather advances 
migrate soulhward. During migrations loons are most numerous 
about our seacoasis and on the large lakes in the interior. 

Like Mie gi-ebes, they move (!V(m- the ground in a slow, floundering 
and awkwaid manner: iheir flight, however, is rapid, and when 



21S REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 

migrating they generally fly at a considerable elevation. The shrill 
and mournful notes of these birds can be heard at a great distance; 
it is asserted by some that loons, like cuckoos, are more frequently 
heard before a storm than at other times. 

The flesh of these birds is tough, dark colored and "fishy." The 
white plumage of the under parts and the spotted feathers of the 
hack arc sometimes used by milliners and furriers. 

The nest is described as a rudely built structure of reeds, grasses, 
etc., built on the ground near the water; the dark-colored and spO'tted 
eggs are said to be usually two in number. Bill long, hard, straight, 
tai»ering and sharp-pointed, being quite s})ear-like in apeparance and 
well adapted to catching their prey, consisting principally of fish. 

Two species of this family, namely, the Common Loon jind the Red- 
throated Loon are found in Pennsylvania. It is claimed by some 
writers that in former years the Common Loon or Creat No'Vthern 
Diver, was a regular breeder about several of llie lakes in the 
northeastern counties of Pennsylvania. 

The stomachs of sixteen loons (three of ^^■hich wei-c the Red- 
throated), showed that thirteen had remains of fish in them, two 
contained seeds and other vegetable matter and the remaining one 
was empty. Fall fish, suckers, catfish, carp and also a brook trout 
seven inches lo'ng have been found in the stomachs of loons taken 
in tliis imitate. 

THE DUCKS, ETC. 

The ducks, geese and swans, according to l)r Cones (Key to X. 
A. birds) are represented by nearly one hundred and seventy-five 
species, inhabiting all parts of the world. Of this large number 
there are probably about fifty kinds which occur regularly in difl'er- 
ent parts of the United States, as residents or during migrations. In 
Pennsylvania nearly twenty species are found during the s])ring and 
fall migi-ations and in winter. But few species are no'W known to 
breed regularly in this State; in fact, the AVood Duck, it seems, is 
the only one that may be said to be at all connnon and fairly well 
disli'ibuted lin th<^ wooded and thinly ]>o])ulated districts cliietly) as 
a breedei-. S( veral species are also found in di1T(M'ent sections of 
tlie State as lai-e and in-euiilai- visitants, and occasionally a few 
others, which have wandered considerably fi-om their common rang(\ 
are cai;tnred Ium-c. The Canada (ioose, the Mergansers, the Wood, 
Ruddy and Ruffle-head ducks, and some few othei- kinds are met with 
quite frecpu^ntly about the rivers, creeks, lakes and numerous jtonds 
in nearl\ all ]::nts of the State. The gi-eat majority of the membei-s 
of this iui]i()r1anl lamily which visit hei'e are. however, found mainly 
on the larg(^ rivers — especially the Snsquelianna — and about the 
shores of Lake Erie. The best locations for duck shoo/inu in this 



No. 17 FISH COMMISSIONERS. 219 

t^iaie iwe at ditt'iMcnt jioints on the Siisciuehanna, froui Harrisburg 
sou fb ward, and al Kvu' bay, wlicre several species are qnite unnun- 
Diis '^v-M'v \('i\v diiiin'4 the rcjinlar migrations. "It is not easy to 
overrate the eecioinic ini|)ortan('e of this large family. It is true 
that Merganseis, some of the sea ducks and cei'tain uuiritime geese 
that feed chiefly upon animal substances, are scarcely tit for food, 
biM ihe great majority afi'ord a bounteous supply of sapid meat — a 
chief dependence, indeed, with the population of some inhospitable 
rt'gions. Such is the case, for example, in the boreal parts of this 
continent, whither vast bands of water-fowls resort to breed during 
the fleeting Arctic summer. Their coming marks a season of com- 
parative plenty in ])laces where hunger often pinches the belly and 
their warm downy covering is patched into garments almost cold- 
])roof. 

"The general traits of the anserine birds are too well known to re- 
(juire more than passing notice. They are salacious to a degree, re- 
markable even in the hot blooded, passionate class of birds; a cir- 
cumstance rendering the ]u-oduction of hybrids frequent and favor- 
ing the study of this subject. If we recall the peculiar actions 
of geese nipping herbage, and of ducks 'dabbling' in the water, and 
know that some species, as the Mergansers, pursue fish and other live 
prey under water, we have the principal modes of feeding. Xidifica- 
tion is usually on the ground, sometimes in a hollow tree; the nest is 
often warmly lined with live feathers; the eggs are usually of some 
])lain color, as greenish, drab, or creamy; the clutch varies in num- 
ber; commonly ranges from half a dozen to a dozen and a half. The 
young ai-e clothed in a stiftish down, and swim at once. Among the 
ducks and Mergansers maiked st^xual diversity in color is the rule; 
the reverse is the case with swans and geese. A note-worthy colora- 
tion of many species, especially of ducks, is the speculum — a briglitly 
colored, geneially iridescent area on the secondary quills. Most 
of th(^ s])ecies are migratory, particularly those of the northern 
hemis];h(n'e; the fiight is ])ei-foi-med in bands, that seem to preserve 
disci]dine as well as c(tmpaiiionshi]>. and with such regularity that 
no bii'ds are better- entitled to the claim of weather prophets." 

The .Mei-gansers, or Fishing Ducks, are ]!robably the most com- 
mon of all "wild ducks" about our smalhM- sticams and jtonds dur- 
ing the winter season. 

Mergans(M-s can easily be recognized by the l)'ll. wliich is long 
tlwo inches or more in length), hooked, almost cylindrical, quite 
s1end( 1' and furnished with saw-like teeth. 

Like the Loons, roi-moi'ants, etc.. these birds, when swimming 
under the watei-, em])loy their wings in the same manntr as when 
flvinu' in the nil'. They subsist almost exclusively on fish; their 



220 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

flesh is dark-colored, quite tougk and unpalatable. Three species 
of this sub-family are found in the United States, and all occur in 
Pennsylvania. 

THE HERONS ETC. 

Birds of this family, containing, it is said, about seventy-live 
species are very generally dispersed throughout all parts of the 
globe. A few si>ecies wand(^r to cold countries, but the great ma- 
jority of these waders inhabit the lower temperate and tropical 
regions. In dirt'erent localities throughout the Ihiited States, about 
fifteen species and varieties (local or geographical races) are recorded 
by modern writers; of these nine species have been taken, during 
recent years, in Pennsylvania. 

Some species occur with us as regular summer residents, while 
others are observed here only as transitory visitors in the spring 
and fall migrations. These birds frequent muddy banks, rivers, 
creeks, lakes and ponds; they are also found about swampy meadows 
and marshy places, particularly if the latter are well supplied with 
pools of shallow water, protected by trees and bushes. They often 
remain quiet or inactive in daytime, but as evening approaches, or 
in the night, they go out, like the owls, in quest of food, which is 
secured by rapid, dextrous thrusts of their long spear-like bills. 

Birds of this group subsist chiefly on various kinds of fishes (fish 
measuring nearly a foot in length are often swallowed by large 
herons), frogs and snakes; and they also eat other kind of animal 
food, such as large insects, field mice, lizards, crayfish, leeches, etc, 
and some of the larger herons occasionally catch wood-rats and 
young birds of other species which breed about their favorite feed- 
ing resorts. With the exception of the Bitterns, these birds are gre- 
garious, particularly when breeding, and in the Southi ru States 
heron and egrets are abundant: they often breed together in 
great numbers, frequently in company with coi-uiorants, water tui'- 
keys and ibeses. The herons and egrets build rude and bulky nests 
of sticks and twigs, in trees and bushes; the bluish or greenish col- 
ored and unspolted eggs vary from two to six in number. 

The sliarp. rasj)iug cries of these birds ai-e often uttered wlie^ 
feeding, also if they are frightened, and fi('(|uently when living, 
either when migrating or wheu going lo and from tlieir feeding 
places. P»irds of this family are kuown by tlie following characters: 
Long necks and logs; bill long, siraigh), tai>ei-ing. acnt" and fur- 
nished with shap ending edges. Lores naked and usually, ])articu- 
larly in the lireeding season, bright colored: the head is rather long, 
nai-row and flat on the sides. U'lien bi-ei'dinii these birds fi'e(]uently 
have the back of the head, the iowei- neck, back or scai)ulars, beau- 
tifully oi'namcnt<Ml witli long ])lumes. Herons and egrets have three 



No. 17 FISH COMMISSIONERS. 221 

pairs of powdei-down tracts, one oii lower part of back, the second 
on lower belly, and a third on breast. Bitterns have two pairs of 
these tracts, one on lower back, the other on breast; toes long and 
slender; the claws are long and curved, especially that of hind toe, 
and the middle claw has a fine comb or inner edge. The hind toe 
is inserted on a level with them in front; outer toes usually connected 
with middle by a small web at base, others free. Tail very short, 
twelve feathers, except in bitterns, which have only ten. 

KINGFISHERS. 

Two species of Kingfishers are found in North America. Of 
these but one — the Belted — occurs in Pennsylvania. The Kingfisher 
family, however, is not a small one, as species are present in nearly 
all parts of the world; but they are most abundant in warm coun- 
tries. Dr Cones says: "One would gain an imperfect or erroneous 
idea of the family to judge it by the American fragment of one genus 
and six or eight species. * * * There are in all 125 species, be- 
longing to nineteen genera; the latter appear to be very judiciously 
handled, but a moderate reduction of the former will be required. 
They are very unequally distributed. Ceryle alone is nearly cosmo- 
politan, absent only from the Australian region; the northern por- 
tion of the Old World has only two peculiar species; three genera and 
twenty-four species are characteristic of the Ethiopian region; one 
genus and twenty-five species are confined to India; while no less 
than ten genera and fifty-nine species are peculiar to Australia.'' 

The Kingfisher family is divided into two sub-families, one of 
which is chiefly insectivorous and the members of which generally 
nest in holes in trees sometimes at a considerable distance from 
water, while the other section of this family subsist almost entirely 
on fish and deposit their eggs and rear their young usually in holes 
in banks along or near the streams or other bodies of water where 
they catch their finny prey. 

Kingfishers are shy and solitary birds, they, or at least the species 
found in this region, feed almost wholly on small fish, but occa- 
sicmally a few aquatic insects or small mammals, such as mice, are. 
by way of variety, devoured by them. When watching for food 
they sit motionless when perched on a stake, old stump, or bough 
hanging over the water. 

When their prey is sighted they dart after it and seize it with the 
bill when on the wing. The fish or other food is swallowed whole, 
wlien they return to the watching post. 

"Kingfishers (says Mr. Gmelin) are seen all over Siberia; and their 
feafhcis are employed by the Tartars and the Ostiacs for many su- 
])er8titious uses. The former pluck them, cast them into the water 
and carefully preserve such as float, and they pretend that if 



222 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

with one of these featlieis tliey touch a woman, or even hei- ch)thes, 
she must fall in love with them. The Ostiacs take the skin, tlie bill, 
and the claws of this bird, and shut them in a pnise: and as long 
as thev preserve this sort of amulet, they believe they have no ill to 
fear. The person who taught me this means of living liapi^y, could 
not forbear shedding- tears; he told me that the loss of a kingfisher's 
skin that he had, caused him to lose also his wife and his goods. 
I observed tliat sucli a bird could not be very rare, since a country- 
man liad brought me one, with its skin and feathers; he was much 
surprised, and said thai if lie had tlie luck to tind one, he would give 
it to no person." 

FISH HAWK OR OSPREY. 

This species, although most numerous about the seacoast, is fre- 
quently to be found along our large rivers and many of our larger 
lakes. During the spring and autumn months these hawks, gen- 
erally singly, but sometimes in pairs, if not disturbed, will linger 
for several days about mill dams and carp ponds where they can 
easily capture fish. 

The fish hawks occurs in I'ennsylvania only as a summer resident, 
arriving generally late in March and remaining until sometimes the 
middle of November. 

The Fish Hawk commonly rears its young in the vicinity of the 
seacoast, yet it oftentimes is found breeding near th(> borders of 
large rivers or in the vicinity of large inland lakes. The nest, a very 
bulky structure (from four to eight feet in diameter) composed main- 
ly of sticks, and lined with sea weeds, mosses, grasses, etc.. is built 
usually on a large tree near the water. The eggs, two or three iu 
number, measure about two and one-half inches'in length by one and 
three-fourth inches in width; they are yellowish-white, thickly cov- 
ered with large blotches of different shades of brown. 

This hawk is a regular but by no means common breeder in Penn- 
sylvania. TTie nest of this bird may be found almost every year 
along the Suscjuehanua river and about some of the larger lakes in 
the northeastern section of the State. The writer has examined the 
stomach-contents of twenty-three of these hawks captured in Penn- 
sylvania. Xew Jersey, ^laryland, Delaware and Florida, and found 
only the i-emains of different s]>ecies of fish. It may be, as some 
writcis assei-t, that the fish liawk when br(-eding subsists in part 
(III rejitilcs and batrachians; however, my o])inioH is that these birds 
never toucli otlier food unless tliey arc unabh^ to catch fish. 

Hon. Iliiam reo]»les, of New Providence. Lancaster county, who 
dev(ttes much attention to fish culture, raising large quantities of 
buss and goldfish for the marlcets. informs me he loses a great many 
fish through Fish Hawks, fn fad, he says, the depredations of these 








Belted Kingfisher. 




•*>•'• «.-^-.v,^. 



The Heron. 




Fish Hawk. 



I 




BALD EAGLE 



No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 223 

hawks became so numerous that he offered a bounty of fifty cents 
each for every one which was killed on his premises. This bounty 
oll'er induced several neighbors' boys to make special efforts to de- 
stroy the feathered fishermen. Mr. Peoples states that a number 
of hawks have been killed and he has saved many dollars worth of 
fish. 

The Osprey, as this hawk is often called, does not, as some farmers 
believe, disturb domestic fowls, nor does it molest game either 
furred or feathered. Small, w^ild song birds are likewise free from 
its attacks. Blackbirds as well as other species of the feathered 
kind have often been known to build their homes in the interstices of 
the bulky nest of the Fish Hawk. 

BALD EAGLE. 

The name "Bald'' which is given to this species is not applied 
because the head Is bare, but because the feathers of the neck and 
head in the adults are pure white. In Pennsylvania, as well as 
thronfi-hout the United States, we have but two species of eagles. 
The "Plack," "Gray" and "Washington" eagles are all young of the 
Bald Eagle, our national emblem. Three years, it is stated, are re- 
quired before this species assumes the adult plumage. The Bald 
Eagle is found in Pennsylvania at all seasons of the year. 

The Nest and Eggs. 

A few of tliese birds annually rear their young along the Susque- 
hanna river and also in a few other localities in this 
State. The nest, a bulky affair, built usually on a large 
tree, mostly near the water, is about four or five feet in diam- 
eter. It is made up chiefly of large sticks, lined inside with grasses, 
leaves, etc. The eggs commonly 2 — rarely 3 — are white and they 
measure about 3 by 2^ inches. A favodte article of food with this 
bird is fish, which he obtains, mainly by strategy and rapine. Occa- 
sionally, hov^'ovor. ncrording to different observers, the Bald Eagle 
will do his own fishing. 

This sperios is (luite plentiful in the vicinity of large rivers, bays, 
etc.. where Fish Hawks are common. Although the Bald Eagle 
feeds to a considerable extent on fish he subsists largely on ducks, 
geese and (sther aquatic birds. Audubon, referring to this ea2,le 
says: "No sooner does the Fish Hawk make its appearance along 
oup Atlantic shores, or ascend our numerous and large rivers, than 
the eagle follows it. and, like a selfish oppressor, robs it of the hard- 
earned fruits of its labor. Perched on some tall summit, in view of 
the ocean, or of some water-course, he watches every motion of the 
Fish Hawk while on wing. When the latter rises from the water, 
with a fish in its grasp, forth rushes the eagle in pursuit. He mounts 
above the Fish Hawk, and threatens it by actions well understood. 



224 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

when the latter, fearing perhaps that its life is in danjiei', drops its 
prey. In an instant the eagle, accurately estimating the rapid 
descent of the lish, closes his wings, follows it with the swiftness 
of thought, and the next moment grasps it." 

Occasionally Does His Own Fishing. 

The Bald P^agle has been known to catch carp and suckers, and 
Audubon says: "This bird now and then procures fish for himself by 
pursuing them in the shallows of small creeks. I have witnessed 
several instances of this in the Perkiomen creek in Pennsylvania^ 
where, in this manner, I saw one of them secure a number of red- 
fins, by w^ading briskly through the water, and striking at them wieh 
his bill." 

How Eagles Capture Wild Fowl. 

Dr. Wm. Brewster, writing of this species at Oobb's Island, Vir- 
ginia, says: "In the winter the eagles are much mor^e numerous 
than at any other time of the year, and my informant has, on several 
occasiO'Us. seen as many as eight at once. At this season the neigh- 
boring bays and creeks swarm with wild-fowl and upon these the 
eagles principally live. He has never known them to catch fish of 
any kind, although they not unfrequently rob the Fish Hawk. 

"Geese and Brant form their favorite food, and the address dis- 
played in their capture is very remarkable. The poor victim has 
apparfiitly not the slightest chance for escape. The eagle's flight,, 
ordinarily slow and somewhat heavy, becomes, in the excitement of 
pursuit, exceedingly swift and graceful, and the fugitive is quickly 
overtaken. When close upon its quarry the eagle suddenly sweeps 
beneath it, and turning back downwards, thrusts its powerful 
t.ilons up into its breast. A brant or duck is carried off bodily to 
the nearest marsh or sand-bar, but a Canada Goose is too heavy 
to be thus easily disposed of. The two great birds fall together to 
the water beneath, while the eagle literall.y tows his prize along 
the surface until the shore is reached. In this w'ay one has been 
known to drag a large goose for nearly half a mile." 

Kills Poultry and Game. 

The I!ald Eagle occasionally devours young pigs, lambs, and 
fawns; domestic fowls, wild turkeys, hares, &c., are also destroyed 
by this species. I have knowledge of at least two of these birds 
which have killed poultry (tame ducks and turkeys) along the Sus- 
quehanna river. Sometimes like the Golden Eagle, this species will 
attack raccoons and skunks. I once found two or three spines of 
a poiTn[)ine in the body of an immature Bald Eagle. 




GOLD E N EAG LE 



No. 17. FISH COMMIPSIOISERS. 225 

GOLDEN EAGLE. 

The GoiQen Eagle occurs in this State as a wiutei* visitor, Tlie 
only species witli whicli it is sometimes compared is tlieT^ald Eagle 
in immature dress. The two birds, however, can be distinguished 
at a glance, if you remember that the Golden Eagle lias the tarsus 
(shin) densely feathered to the toes, while on the other hand, the 
IJald P^agle has a bare shin. The Golden Eagle breeds in higli 
mountainous regions and the Arctic countries. 

Tliero is a specimen of this species in the State Museum which 
was captured a few years ago in Clinton county, where for several 
days, when deep snow covered the ground, it lingered about a farm 
house and preyed upon chickens and turkeys, and when it was shot 
it had just swooped down on a favorite pussy which spent most of 
her time in a swampy, grassy thicket, near the barnyard, watching 
for small birds and rabbits. 

^ Food of the Golden Eagle. 

Golden Eagles are rather rare in this region, hence their depreda- 
tions to poultry, game and live stock occasion comparatively little 
loss. Dtunestic fowls, ducks and turkeys especially are often de- 
voured; different species of water birds, grouse, and wild turkeys,, 
suffer chiefly among the game birds. Fawns are sometimes attacked 
and killed; occasionally it destroys young pigs, and frequently many 
lambs are carried off by this powerful bird. Babbits are preyed 
ujton t<) a considerable extent. To illustrate the damage w'lrichi 
eagles sometimes do on sheep ranches. Dr. A. K. Fisher publishes the 
following letter, which fully explains how de.*;trnctive ea^l!^•< may 
occasionally become. This letter as Dr. Fisher observes, "may refer 
in part to the Bald Eagle." 

Rhems, Georgetown County, S. C, May 30, 1SS9. 
Col. Alex. Macbeth: n 

Dear Sir: "i'ours 22d instant at hand, and in reply will say that the eagles 
are more destructive to the sheep-growing industry in this section than dogs. 
On cne lanch this spring one shepherd alone killed over forty himself, princi- 
pally by using strychnine. They were vvors? than we ever knew before. We 
lost fully 400 or 500 lambs, as they devour them as fast as they drop 
from the, old sheep. * * « ^-g frequently see during- ea,gle or lamb- 
ing season, fifteen or twenty eagles in a covey (or bunch), which shows at a 
glance that they are very destructive. We have also a few wildcats that de- 
vour the young' sheep, but can manage them better than eagles. 

Yours very truly, 

T. RHEM & PONS. 

ADULT DEER ATTACKED. 

Some years ago I saw the remains of a Golden Eagle hanging, 
with some pets, on a hunter's cabin in the wilds of Clinton county. 
Pa., and on making inquiry larned that the bird had been shot iu 
15-17-07 



226 ' RKIORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

the act of attacking' a small doe. jNlr. C. F. .Monisou, wiitini; of a 
similar case which had been called to his attention says: "The bird 
had cai)tured and killed a good-sized beach-tailed deer an J was shot 
while sitting on its body" (O&O, Vol. xiv, 188U). Mr. Henry Seebolm, 
a European naturalist, writing o^f the species in the Old World, 
makes the following observation concerning its food: "The Golden 
Eagle has been known on one highland sheep farm alone, in the 
course of a single season, to carry off as many as thirty-five lambs. 
"■" * * In deer forests, eagles are of the gi-eatest service; for, al- 
though they sometimes take a sickly deer calf, they live almost 
entirely on blue hares, so troublesome to the deer stalker; and 
most ceriainlv deer are better for the removal of the weak-and sickly 
ones which would only possibly live to transmit their disease to 
posterity. * * * The Golden Eagle will eat carrion when 
pressed for food. * * * The Golden Eagle also preys upon vari- 
ous Kj)e( Jes of birds, notably the black cock and red grouse, stai- 
migan, curlews and plovers." 

RED SHOULDERED HAWK. 

This species like the Red-tailed Hawk is known to farmers and 
sportsmen as "hen -hawk." This name, however, is very misleading 
as this bird seldom destroys the tenants of the poultry yard. The 
Ked-shouldered Hawk preys to a very limited extent on fish; the 
damage he does to the finny tribes is not worthy of consideration. 
This hawk does not merit the ill-will of the sportsman, as he rarely 
preys on game. The examination of 220 stomachs of this species, 
made by Dr. A. K. Fisher, of the National Department of Agricul- 
ture, showed that only one contained the remains of a game bird, 
and but three contained poifitry. 

In winter these hawks frequent principally the large water courses, 
meadow lands, and the vicinity of ponds, and not unfrequently an 
individual of this species can be observed on its perch overlooking 
a siDring-head. 

The Nest and Eggs. 

The Red-shouldered Hawk nests in trees, usually in April or May, 
in this locality. The eggs, two to four in number, are white and 
blotched with different shades of brown. The nest is composed of 
sticks, fine bark and other fibres. 

Does Not Piey on Chickens. 

Although this hawk is frequently charged with destroying fowls 
observation in the field and numerous dissections of the sto.naehs 
of this species do not by any means justify such a statement. My ex- 
perience on this subject agrees in the main with that of Dr. A. K. 
Fisher, who savs: "Some authors insist that the Red-shouldered 




RED SHOULDERED HAWK 



No. 17. FISH C0MM1SS3 0NKRS. 227 

Hawk is destructive to poultry, but the writer, in all his field ex- 
perience, has never seen one attack a fowl, nor has he found the 
remains of one in the stomachs of those examined. In: makin;; tliis 
statement, he does noit include poultry which is eaten in the form 
of offal, for in severe weather when the ground is covered with snow 
and when foi)d is scarce, the Red-shouldef^d Hawk will devour dead 
chickens which have been thrown out from the yard, as well as other 
refusi? found on compost heaps or in the vicinity of slaughter houses. 
At such times the writer has often captured specimens of tMs hawk, 
as well as of crows, blue jays, red and flying squirrels, in steel traps 
set near a piece of ch.icken, rabbit or beef fastened in a tree." 

In my examinations of fifty-seven of these hawks which have been 
captured in Pennsylvania, forty-three showed field-mice, some few 
otlier small quadrupeds, grasshoppers and insects, mostly beetles; 
nine revealed frogs and insects; two, small birds, remains of small 
mammals and a fow beetles; two, snakes and portions of frogs. In 
the stomachs of two of tbese hawks sbot in Florida, I found, in 
one, portions of a small cat-fish, and in the other remains of a small 
mammal and some few coleopterous insects. A specimen taken last 
year in New York State had in its stomach the remains of a sucker 
and hair of a small mammal. 

GOSHAWK. 

The Goskhawk is not common in this State. Usually this fierce, 
powerful and predatory bird confines himself to the mountainous 
and lieavily wooded regions. It is rather exceptional for these birds 
to be found in the populous farming districts and when they are seen 
in such places it is generally during severe winters, when their fa- 
vorite inoiiutain retreats are visited by heavy falls of snow. Tlie 
Goshawk is a regular breeder on North mountain, Sullivan county. 
Pa. 3 have seen birds of iliis species in Clinton and Centre counvies 
of this Stale in June and July, hence am inclined to tbink they may 
also breed in these counties. Messrs. Otto and Herman Behr, of 
Lopez, Pa., have found, during the last five or six years, several nests 
of these hawks on North mountain. Within a radius of four or five 
miles of their home, at least three or four pairs of these bird.s haA'e 
bred regularly for many years. 

The Nost. 

In the latter part of May of this present year Mr. Herman Behr 
found a nest of a Goshawk about three miles from his home; it 
contained three young birds. Tlie nest was a very bulky structure, 
probably not less than three feet high by three feet in diameter, and 
made up almost entirely of sticks. It was built on a large beech tree. 



228 



REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



CxOSHAWKS AND WILD PIGEONS. 

Ur. Belli- informs me that some thirty-five years ago there was a 
wild pigi-'on rooM or breeding ground fully seven miles square, on 
North inoimtain, which wa.s annually resorted to by these birds every 
spriiiu'. On one occasion Mr. Behr counted forty-six pigeons' nrsts 
on a single beecli tree. Wild pigeons, until within the last tJiree 
years, bred regularly in small numbers on the North mountain. The 
last wild pigeons observed in that region by Messrs. Otto and Her- 
man Behr were taken in the spring of 1893. The Goshawk, also the 
Cooper's and Sharp-shinned species, in common with the Great 
Horned and Barred owls, destroyed great numbers of pigeons. Of 
all these raptorial birds the cruel, daring and blood-thirsty Gosliawk 
was by far* the most persistent and destructive enemy toi the pigeons. 

The owls, like other nc^ctunial mauraders, sucli as the wald cat or 
bay lynx, the red fox, the mink and agile weasel, all preyed upcm 1he 
pigeons. The weasels would frequently climb the tree to get the 
pigeons eggs and young, or often to capture the old birds when at 
rest. The other mammals previously mentioned depended, mostly, 
on catching squab-s which fell from the nests. 

What Goshawks Prey Upon. 

The Goshawk feeds upon chickens, turkeys, ducks, grouse, quail, 
robin^, hare?? and squirrels and other small rodents. Although at 
times this bird is very destructive to poultry the greater damage 
done by this species in this State appears to be to game, especially 
gron'-( . 

The following paragraphs concerning this daring and destructive 
lia\\k are taken fi'om Dr. A. K. Fisher's Report, Bulletin No. '1, en- 
titled ''The Hawks and Owls of the United States." This species is 
one of the most daiing of all the hawks, and while in pursuit of its 
prey is apparently less cf)ncerned by the presence of man than any 
other. It will dai't down unexpectedly at the very feet of the farmer 
and carry off a fowl. The following from the pen of the late Dr. 
William Wood gives evidence of its boldness: 

The Destruction of Poultry. 

''The Goshawk is the most daring and venturescxme of any of our 
diurnal birds of prey. A farmer who' resides a few miles from my 
office, wishing to perpetuate the old New England custom of having 
a chicken pie for Thanksgiving dinner, caught some fowls, took tliem 
to a log. severed tlie neck of one, and threw it down beside him. In 
an instant the Goshawk seized the struggling fowl, and, flying off 
some ten rods, alighted and commenced devouring his prey. The 
boldness of the attack so astonished the farmer that he looked on 
witli blank amazement. Recovering from his surprise, he hastened 




AMERICAN GOSHAWK 



No. 17. FISH COMMIFSIOKERS. 229 

iuto the house aud brouj^ht out his gun, which secured him both the 
hawk and the fowl. Another instance of still greater daring oc- 
curred near East Windsor Hill, Connecticut. A Gosawk flew after 
a fowl near a dwelling house; the door being open, the hen flew in- 
side; the hawk follow'ed, and seized her in the room occupied by an 
old gentleman and his daughter. The old man hastened to the res- 
cue, and struck ihe hawk with a cane belore it released its grasp. 
The daughter caught the hawk as it attempted to fly out ol the ddor, 
and killed it." (Amer. Nat. Vol. X. 1876, p. 134.) 

Capt. Charles E. Bendire informed the writer that at Fort Kla. 
math, Oregon, he once shot at a Goshawk and slightly wounded it 
with fine shot, and in the course of a few minutes it returned and 
attacked a chicken. Numerous cases are on record where it has 
flown through windows to attack canaries or other cage birds. 

An Enemy of Wild Fowls. 

In the general character of its flight, as well as the mode of hunt- 
ing and capturing its prey, it closely resembles Cooper's Hawk, 
though it frequents the thick woods rather more than the latter bird. 
In the fail this hawk is common along the smaller water courses 
where it is very destructive to wild ducks and other water fowl, and 
is able to strike down a bird as large as a full grown mallard. If its 
pre.y is a bird of this size it rarely eats more than the flesh from the 
breast, leaving +lie rest of iho cju'cass nntouelicd. Scoining to feed 
upon carrion, another victim is secured when hunger returns. 

A Successful Grouse Hunter. 

Of the upland game birds the ptarmigan in the north and the 
ruffed grouse in the middle districts suffer severely fromi the attacks 
of this powerful hawk. Dr. William H. Dall, w^bo found it common 
in the valley of the Yukon river, states that it feeds largely on the 
white ptarmigan, the flo'cks of which it follows from place to place. 
E. W, Nelson and L. M. Turi^er both corroborate its destructiveness 
among these birds. In some parts of the couritry the Goshawk hunts 
the ruffed grouse so persistently that it is known by the name of 
"Partridge Hawk," and this bird probably has no worse enemy ex- 
cept man. As Audubon was passing down the Ohio he observed one 
of these hawks dive into a flock of grackles which was crossing the 
river, and kill four or five of them. After giving each victim a fatal 
squeeze the hawk allowed it to fall to the water and at the close of 
the chase returned and picked up all from the surface. 

COOPER'S HAWK. 

The Cooper's Hawk, also known as the Long-tailed chicken or 
Pheasant Hawk, is a common native. This species and its near rela- 
tive the Sharp-shinned Hawic are the ones which probably do more 



230 RFJPORI OF THE Off. Doc. 

damage to tlie poultry interests of Pennsylvania than all other of our 
hawks, .Ailhough this hawk is common aurmy, all seasons it is much 
more plentiful during the late spring, summer and early autumn than 
in midwinter. Tlie Cooper's Hawk measures from eighteen to 
twenty inches in length; its extended wings measure about thirty- 
six inches; the long and rounded tail is about eight and one-half 
inches long. The adult male is a little smaller than the female, to 
which the above measurements refer. The adults have upper parts 
bluish-gray, top of head blackish; the tail has several blackish bars; 
below W'hite; the breast and sides being barred witli dusky or ruf- 
ous." The immature birds are dusk above, more or less spotted 
with white and reddish brown; tail banded and lower parts white, 
with long brown spots. 

The Nest and "Eggs. 

Nest building is commonly begun in this locality about the mid- 
dle of April, and lasts for a period of from three to five days. Oc- 
casionally this bird will deposit its eggs in a deserted crow's nest. 
I believe they prefer to erect their own nests, and, from my observa- 
tion, am quite positive they only appropriate the nests of other birds 
when their own have been destroyed. The building of the nest is 
the conjoint labor of both birds. It is usually built in a thick 
woods, and when a pair of Cooper's Hawks begin housekeeping in 
woodhuid near the farmer's poultry yai'd, and they are not soon 
hunted up and killed or their nest and its contents destroyed, the 
chances are they will destroy a good many dollars worth of poultry 
before they and their young leave the locality. 

Externally the nest is built of sticks varying much in size. It is 
generally lined with the inner layer of bark, although frequently, 
blades of grass, feathers and leaves enter into the construction of 
the interior. The eggs measure about 1.99x1.50 inches and usually 
number from three to four, altJiough it is not a rare occurrence to 
find five. In color they are a dull, bluish white. Sets are some- 
times taken with numerous and unevenly distributed brown and red- 
dish spots. 

The young leave the nest in about 25 days; when about S or 
weeks old they are able to provide food for themselves; to this time, 
however, they are carefully guarded by the old birds and fed almost 
entirely on a diet of small wild birds, chickens and an occasionnl 
mnmmal and some insects. 

An Audacious Poultry Thief. 

Wliile it is true the Cooper's Hawk preys to n much urenloi' extent 
on full grown ponltry than does Tiis daring little relative the Sharp- 
shinned Hawk, there is no doubt that at times individual Coo])er's 
Hawks are equally as bad about destroying young poultry as are the 



Is'o. 17, FISH COIMISllKSiCNERS. 231 

Shai'p-shinned hawks. For impudent daring this present species, 
without doubt, ranks pre-eminent among the raptorial genera. Al- 
most every farmer or poultry raiser can give instances of where he or 
she was the victim of pillage by this bold and audacious robber. In 
the spring of 1878 the writer was presented by a friend with a 
Oooj)er's Hawk AA'hich he had caught in a steel trap, but not until 
he and his mate had destroyed some fifty young chickens. In l^^ 
day these two hawks killed twelve chickens. 

A Varying Diet. 

Dr. Coues (Birds of Northwest) says, in speaking of this hawk: 
^'Possessed of spirit commensurate with its physical powers, it preys 
upon game little if any humbler than that of our more powerful fal- 
^^•ons. It attacks and destroys hares, grouse, teal, and even the young 
of larger ducks * * * besides capturing the usual variety of 
smaller birds and quadrupeds. It occasionally seizes upon reptiles 
or picks up insects." 

The following quotation from Dr. Fisher's Hawk and Owl Bulle- 
tin No. 3, page 39, show ho-w extensively the Cooper's hawk feeds on 
game and domestic birds. Nuttal says: "His food appears princi- 
])ally to be of various kinds; froin tlie sparrow to the ruffed grouse, 
all contribute to his rapacious appetite. * * * His depredations 
among domestic fowls are very destructive." (Land Birds, 1832, 
p. 90.) 

Mr, H. Nehrling says: "This very common and impudent robber is 
llie most destructive of the raptores to the barnyard fowls; in a 
short time all the young chickens, turkeys and ducks are killed by 
it." (Bull. Nutt. Ormith. Club., Vol. VII, 82, p. 174.) 

Mr. Thomas Mcllwaith says: "This is one of the chicken hawks, 
and it well deserves the name, from the havoc it makes amooig the 
poultry." (Birds of Ontario, p. 137.) 

Destroying Quail. 

Mr. Henshaw informs me that the Cooper's Hawk is a very partial 
to quail's flesh in California and the southern territories, and that 
it undoubtedly secures many victims. He once saw a young female 
dart into a bevy of Gabel's quail and seize one with the utmost 
ease, though the birds were flying at full speed. In an instant the 
flock scattered in every direction and sought refuge in the bushes, 
fi-om which it proved next to iniDossible to dislodge them. They had 
recognized their enemy, and evidently knew that their only chance 
for safety lay in close hiding. 

Destroys Piieasants and Other Game. 

The common name of "Long-tailed Pheasant Hawk," b> which the 
swift-winged plunderer is best known in the mountainous and 
1.5* 



232 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

sparsely settled regions is given because of the great damage this 
hawk does by destroying ruffed grouse. For several years past the 
writer has every season visited different localities in Pennsylvania, 
for the purpose of hunting ruffed grouse or pheasant, and from per- 
sonal observation is well aware that the Cooper's Hawk is a most 
destructive foe of this noble game bird. Hunters and woodsmen 
ha^-e often told me that these "pheasant hawks," referring to both 
the Cooper's and Sharp-shinned, kill almost as many birds as the 
average sportsman, and judging from the way in which a good many 
s].ortsmGJi "slioot" when they are in the brush after tlie wily grouse, 
it is yery likely that this statement is correct. 

The Cooper's hawk feeds upon the gray rabbit (common cotton- 
tail) and tlie mountain jack or white rabbit (varying hare). Squirrels 
arc oceasiooally killed and young wild turkeys also suffer consider- 
ably from the attacks of this bird. Besides destroying poultry and 
game of different kinds, these hawks annually kill great numbers of 
small wild birds, such as woodpeckers, sparrow, thrushes, etc. The 
Cooper's Hawk has been known to kill and feed upon the following 
species of birds and mammals which are present in this State: 

Birds. 

Ruffed Grouse, Meadow Lark, 

Quail, Screech Owl, 

Common Dove, Flicker, 

Goldfinch, Ked-headed Woodpecker, 

Kobin, 'NATiite-breasted Nuthatch, 

Shore-lark, Song Sparrow, 

Tree Sparrow, Snowbird, 

Towhee, C!row Blackbird, 

Red- winged Blackbird, Field Sparrow, 

Wild Turkey, Savanna Sparrow, 

Wood Duck, Blue Bird, 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, English Sparrow. 

Mammals. 
Opossum, Chipmunk, 

Gray Rabbit, Red Squirrel, 

Varying Hare, ' Common Rat, 

Field Mice, Woodchuck (young). 

SHARP-SHINNED HAAVK. 

The Sharp-shinned Hawk bears a close resemblance to the Cooper's 
Hawk, but it can be distinguished from the latter by its smaller size 
and the (nd of the tail which is straight or slightly notched. The 
tip of the Cooper's Hawk tail is decidedly rounded. Length 10 to 
14 inches: extended wings 21 to 2G. 



No. 17. FISH COAlMISSIONEiRS. 233 

Adult: Upper parts bluish gvay, top of head darker, tail crossed 
with several blackish bands; lower parts white; breast and sides 
with dr.sky or reddish bars. In immature birds the upper parts arc 
dusky moie or less spotted with lighter, and under parts are whitish 
with blackish streaks, 

Xests and E.s-ffs. 

This extremely daring and spirited little hawk is one of Ihe most 
abundant of our North American species. It is found in Pennsylva- 
nia as a resident, but during the spring and fall migrations — March, 
April, KSeptember and October — it is much more plentiful than ar 
other periods. The nests in this locality, according to my experi- 
ence, are mostly built in low trees and are made up almost entirely 
of small twigs. The eggs, mostly five in number, are nearly spher- 
ical, white O'i' bluish white, marked with large and irregular splashes 
or blotches of browu, and measures! about 1.40 by 1.16 inches. This 
hawk occasionally feeds upon insects, mice and reptiles, but the 
greater portion of its food consists of wild birds and poultry, particu- 
larly young po'ultry. 

When a pair of Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawks nest in the 
neighborhood of a farm, where young chickens can be readily cap- 
tured, they, if not speedily killed, will visit the place almost daily 
until the young chickens have all been destroyed, and if the hawks 
are not molested after a few visits to the coops, they seem to become 
more bold and daring every day. 

Fond of Young- Chickens, 

Nuttall, writing of the Sharp-shinned Hawk says: "In thinly set- 
tled districts this hawk seems to abound and proves extremely de- 
structive to young chickens, a single bird having been known regu- 
larly to come every day until he had carried away between twenty 
and thirty." The same writer says he was <m.e day conversing with 
a planter, when one of these hawks came down and without any 
ceremony or heeding the loud cries of the housewife, w^ho most re- 
luctantly witnessed the robbery, snatched away a chicken directly 
before them. 

Poultry and Game Destroyed. 

This hawk does not by any means devote his attention exclusively 
to young i>oultry when he comes about the farm yard, but often 
may be seen to attack and kill chickens when two-thirds o^r full 
grown. Pheasants or ruffed grouse, both old and young, also quail, 
are destroyed in considerable nuTubers by Sharp-shinned Hawks. 
Young rabbits and squirrels are occasioanlly captured by these 
hawks, and on one occasion a few years ago a hunter of my acquain- 
tance shot and presented to me a pair of these hawks which had 
killed several wild turkeys, which he said were about one- third 
grown. I have known both the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Ha^ks, 



234 RE:F0RT of the Off. Doc. 

which had probably been watching coveys of quail, to suddenly 
swoop down and seize quail which had been shot by gunners, when 
the sportsman was only a few yards from the quail he had killed or 
wounded. Doves, which in recent years or since the wild pigeons 
have disappeared from this region, are eagerly sought after by 
sportsmen in many sections of the State, are very of ten, destroyed 
by these hawks; they also sometimes attack the domestic pigeons, 
and they destroy many meadow larks and thrushes. 

Dr. A. K. Fisher, assistant ornithologist. United States Depart 
Qient of Agriculture, in his admirable bulletin No. 3, on the Hawks 
and Owls of the United States, very properly says: "Little can be 
said in favor of this hawk, although its daring, courage and impu- 
dence are to- be admired. On this and the two following species 
^Cooper's Hawk and Goshawk) mainly rests the responsibility for the 
ill-favoT with which the other hawks are regarded. A score of valu- 
able species suffer because they belong to a class which include two 
or three noxious kinds. However, like most villains, it has at least 
one redeeming quality, and that is its fondness for the English 
sparrow, our imported bird nuisance." 

Birds Destroyed. 

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is known to kill and feed upon the fol- 
lowing species of small wild birds which are common in this State: 
Meadow Lark, Downy Woodpecker, 

Common Robin, Goldfinch, 

! low Blackbird, Savanna Spari'ow, 

Cow Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, 

Blue Bird, Chickadee, 

Flicker, Hermit Thrush, 

Red Eyed Vireo, • Fox Sparrow, 

Black Throated Green Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, 
Red-Winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, 

Red-headed Woodpecker, White-throated SparroiW, 

Cat Bird, Brown Thrush, 

English Sparrow, Myrtle Warbler, 

Song Sparrow, Common Pewee, 

Tree Sparrow, Oven Bird, 

Snow Bird, 

This list could be considerably enlarged, as there are many other 
kinds of birds which different observers have identified among 
the strnrach contents of this hawii. The list, is, however, suflSciently 
large lo give the general reader a very clear idea that the Sharp- 
shinned is ever ready to capture and prey upon almost any bird he 
can master. 




DUCK H AW K . 



No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 235 

DUCK HAWK. 

Tills bold and predatory iiawk, the largest of the typical falcons 
found in this region, retires usually duiiiig the summer time to the 
mourtainous districts, generally in the neigliborhood of large 
streams, and in the winter season it is found as an irregular visitor 
iu nearly all sections of our Commonwealth, The species breeds 
regularly but sparingly in Pennsylvania. 

Kills Fowls and Wild Biidr. 

This hawk, like the Cooper's and Sliarp-shinned species previously 
mentioned, is detrimental, but fortunately for the fanner and sports- 
man, the Duck Hawk is a comparatively rare bird, and, except in 
winter, is found usually about the larger rivers. However, when a 
pair of tliese birds begin house-keeping on a high rocky ledge iu the 
neighborhood of farm houses, they frequently destroy a good many 
domestic fowls. 

Two years ago, in midwinter, a farmer living along the Brandy^ 
wine creek, near West Chester, brought to my office two of these 
hawks which he had killed one evening at his carp pond where, he 
stated, they went to catch his ducks and chickens. He said that 
this pair of hawks had killed eight chickens and three ducks for 
him in about a week. 

Dr. C. n. Merriam (Birds of Conn.) referring to a Duck Hawk 
which was shot on Falkner Island, Connecticut, says: "During her 
brief visit she had made sad havoc among the terns, and her croi» 
was greatly distended with their remains which had been swallowed 
in incredibly large pieces; whole legs and long bones of the wings 
were found entitre and unbroken. Indeed, slie was perfectly gorged 
and contained the remains of at least two terns, besides a mass ct 
newly hatched young." 

Concerning the habit this species has of destroying ducks and 
other game birds Audubon says: 'T3e pursues the smaller •iuc-ks-, 
water hens, and other swimming birds; and. if they are not quick in 
diving, seiz'is tluMu, an-! rises wiih them from the water. I have 
seen this hawk come at the repoi t of a gun. and carry off a teal 
not thirty steps distant from the sportsman who had killed it. with 
a daring assurance as surprising as unexpected. This conduct has 
been observed by many individuals, and is a characteristic trait of 
this species. Tlie largest bird I have seen this hawk attack and 
grapple with on the wing is the >lallard. 

"The Duck Hawk does not, however, content himself with water 
fowl. Tfe is generally seen following the fiO'Cks of pigeons and even 
blackbirds, causing great terror in their ranks, and forcing them 
to perform aerial evolutions to escape the grasp of his dreaded 
talons. For several days I watched one of them that had taken a 
partirular fancy to some tame pigeons, to secure which it went so 



236 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

far as to enter their house at one of the holes, seize a bird, and 
issue by another hole in an instant, causing such terror among 
the rest as to render me fearful that they would abandon the place. 
However, I fortunately shot the depredator. They occasionally feed 
on dead fish that have floated to the shores or sand-bars." 

PIGEON HAWK. 

This lilllc falcon breeds chiefly north of parallel 4:1", though, as Dr. 
Fisher adds, "in the mountains it extends south of this latitude, and 
in the mountains C'f some of the West India islands it is a summer 
resident." I have observed this hawk only as a visitor during the 
spring, fall and winter months. Future investigations, however, 
may show that, as some assert, it occurs as a native in some of our 
higher mountainous districts. 

A Destructive Species. 

Field observations and post-mortem examinations made by nu- 
merous naturalists show very conclusively that, although the Pigeon 
Hawk, will sometimes destroy poultry, tame pigeons and even game 
birds as large as the ptarmigan, it i)re,\s mainly on various kinds 
of small wild birds. It sometimes catches insects and small quad- 
rupeds and at times it will, when pressed for food, feed on oifal. 

In the stomachs of fifty-one of these hawks examined by Dr. A. 
K. Fisher, forty-one contained small birds, and of these the follow- 
ing species w^ere identified: 
Song Sparrow, Swift, 

English Sparrow, Flicker, 

Indigo Bird, Warblers, 

Field Sparrow, Bobolink, 

Swamp Sparrow, Tree Swallow, 

Chipping Sparrow, Red-eyed Vireo, 

Goldfinch, Brown Creeper, 

Thrush, Solitary Vireo. 

BARRED OWL. 

The Barred Owl is readily distinguished from other species by 
its large size, yellow-colored bill and its black eyes. Barred Owls 
are exceedingly abundant in many of the southern States, where 
they are known by the names of "Hoot" and "Swamp Owls." In 
Pennsylvania this owl is found throughout the year, and in many 
of the mountainous and heavy-wooded regions; it is the most com- 
mon of all the owls. The Barred Owl lays its eggs in a hollow 
tree, or in the deserted nest of a hawk or crotw; the white eggs are 
a little under 2 inches long by about If inches wide. The Barred 
and Great-horned Owls are the only species, in this locality, whose 
depredations to poultry and game are worthy of note. Unfortu- 
nat<'ly, however, the hatred towards these two birds, and partieu- 




PIGEON H AW K 



No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 237 

liiily (he cnmily agaiiisL the (Jieal Horned Owl has brought all our 
owls in bad favor; the farmer's boy and sportsmen, with few ex- 
ceptions, let no opportunityi pass to pillage an owl's nest or slay its 
owners. 

In this way, there are annually destroyed large numbers of 
Screech, Long-eared and Short-eared owls simply because the popu- 
lar idea is that all owls, large and small, prey only on jtoultry and 
game. 

The Barred Owl preys to a limited extent on poultry; he destroys 
a good many grouse and various species of small wild birds. He 
also catches mice and rabbits. Frogs, crawfish and some insects 
are also devoured by this bird. I am quite confident that Audubon 
was entirely correct in the statement that this owl often catches 
fish, as I have several times been informed by reliable persons that 
they have seen the Tiarred owl catch fish. Some few years ago a 
Barred owl was seen in the act of catching a large brook trout at 
the State Hatchery, at Allentown, Pa. In the winter of I880, I was 
informed by two residents of Florida, both gentlemen whom I con- 
sider thoroughly trustworthy, that this bird frequently preys on 
fish, which it secures while sitting close to the water's edge, by a 
dexterous movement of the foot. 

HORNED GREBE. 

This species is lecorded as quiet a common winter resident through- 
out the United States, and although sometimes found nesting within 
our northern limits, it retires chiefly north of the United States dur- 
ing the breeding period (middle of .May to middle of August.) Au- 
dubon (Birds of America) states that he found in Ohio, near Lake 
P^rie, in the month of July, nests containing eggs in which incuba- 
tion was well advanced. Dr. Cones (Birds of the Northwest) men- 
tions that he has found it breeding at various points in North Da- 
kota, where in June and July he secured both eggs and young, the 
latter newly hatched. ''I'his species is recorded by Dr. E. A. Sam- 
uels as nesting in more northern latitudes than New England. 

The Homed Grebe is an irregular sojourner in Pennisylvania from 
the middle of October until early in April. In the months of March 
and April this diver is usually more numerous than at other times 
during its residence with us. Although generally observed singly 
or in pairs, and sometimes in parties of four, five or six, I have seen, 
on three occasions, in the past ten years, flocks numbering from 
twelve to twenty-five of these birds, during the spring migrations, on 
the Susquehanna, Lehigh and Delaware rivers. Dt. Walter Van 
Fleet and Burgess .1. H. Ferguson, both of Renovo, Clinton county. 
Pa., recently informed me that in the latter part of IMarch or early 
in April, 1894. large numbers of Horned Grebes appeared in various 
streams anTl ponds in Central Pennsylvania and remained for two or 



238 liEPOKT OF THE Ofi;. D.x-. 

tJiree days beiure passiug uoi'thward. Mr. Ferguson says there were 
at least two hundred Grebes in the river at Kenovo, where many 
were Ivilled by gunners. In a small pool, less than one roni across,. 
Dr. Van Fleet secured over twenty. AudubO'ii, writing of the food 
of Horned Grebes, says : "I have observed in the stomachs of almost 
all I have examined a quantity of hair-like substances rolled to- 
gether like the pellets of owls, but have not ascertained whether 
or not these masses are disgorged. The food or this species, while 
on salt water, is composed of shrimps, small lish and minute Crus- 
tacea. While on fresh water they procure fish, insects, leechfis,. 
smaU frogs, tadpoles and aquatic lizards; they also pick up the secds- 
of grasses." 

The stomach-oo'ntents of nine of these birds which I have examined 
consisted mainly of sand, remains of fish, beetles and frogs and por- 
tions of green- colored aquatio plants. In the stomachs of three 
specimens I have found in addition to other food-stuffs, small bail- 
like masses of feathers. 

DABCHICK. 

The Pied-billed Grebe, or Dabchick, is a common spring and fall 
visitor, and in winter it is often seen, especially in the southern- 
counties of the State. The Dabchick is the only one of the Grebes- 
which has been known to naturalists, with whom 1 have correspond- 
ed on the matter, to breed in Pennsylvania, but as a native the bird 
Is rare, or if it breeds at all regularly with us, it retires to such 
secluded situations that collectors rarely find it. In the counties- 
of Crawford and Erie, Mr, Geo. E. Sennett has observed the species 
as a "moderately common spring and fall migrant," and Mr. August 
Koch, of Williamsport, has noted it in his locality, only as spring: 
and fall visitor. Dr. John W. Detweiler, naturalist, residing at 
liethlehem, Northampton county, writes me he has found it breed- 
ing in Pennsylvania. 

Prof. H. Justin Roddy, of the Millersville State Normal school,, 
says: This Grebe about ten years ago bred in Perry county, Penn- 
sylvania. The fO'llowing interesting and valuable notes oonicerning: 
the nesting habits of the Pied-billed Grebe are given by Mr. Lang- 
don in liis list, Summer Birds of a Northern Ohio ]\Iarsh: "The little 
floating island of decaying vegetation held together by mud and 
moss, which constitutes the nest of this species, is a veritable orni- 
thological curiosity. Imagine a 'pancake' of what appears t(t be 
mud, measuring twelve or fifteen inches in diameter, and rising twa 
or three inches above the water, which may be from one to three 
feet in depth; anchoir it to the bottom with a few concealed blades- 
of 'sawgrass,' in a little open bay, leaving its circumference entirely 
free; remove a mass of wet muck from its rounded top and you ex- 
pose seven or eight soiled brownish-white eggs, resting in a de- 



No. 17. FISH COMMISSJONKRS. 239 

Iiiessioii, the bottom of which is less than an inch from the water; 
the whole mass is constantly damp. This is the nest of the Dab- 
chick, who is out foraging on the marsh, or perhaps is anxiously 
watching us from some safe corner nearby. 

"The anchoring blades of coarse saw-grass or flags, being always 
longer than is necessary to reach the bottom, permit) of considerable 
lateral and vertical movement of the nest, and effectually provfde 
against drowning of the eggs by an ordinary rise in the water-level 
such as frequently occurs during the prevalence of strong easterly 
winds on tlie lake. A small bunch of saw-grass already growing 
in a suitable situation is evidently selected as a nucleus for the nest, 
and the tops bent so as to form part of it. 

"During the dav w^e invariably found the eggs concealed by a 
covering of muck as above described; but, as we ascertained by re- 
peated visits at night and in the early morning, they are uncovered 
at dusk by the bird who incubates them until the morning sun re- 
lieves her of her task." 

THE LOON OR GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 

This bird, the largest of all the divers, is about as large as a 
medium-sized domestic goose. The Loon, known to many as the 
Groat Northern Diver, is a regular and tolerably common spring and 
fall migrant, frequenting, principally the rivers, larger streams and 
lakes. In the winter, when streams and other bodies of water are 
not frozen over, individuals of this species are frequently to be found 
with us. Although not known to breed in Pennsylvania, these birds 
are sometimes seen here in the breeding season. 

Hon. N. F. Underwood, of Lake Como, Wayne county, and hunters 
living in Wyoming and Susquehanna counties, have informed me 
that solitary Loons are occasionally to be found throughout the sum- 
mer months, inhabiting the numerous small lakes in the northeastern 
parts of this Commonwealth. In Lycoming county, Mr. August 
Koch says, "the Loon is a common visitor, oftener to be noticed in 
the spring than in the fall, and occasionally single birds may be 
nonced in the summer months." The Leon ever cautious and vigi- 
lant, will dive at the flash of a gun and proceed under the water to 
a very considerable distance before reappearing. These birds, it is 
said, when endeavoring to eulde their enemies, and also at times when 
in quest of food, swim under the water with greater rapidity than 
they f y through the air. Writing of the Loon Nuttall says, in re- 
ferring- to its voice: "Fi»r out at sea in winter, and in the irreat 
western lakes, particularly Huron and Michigan, in summer, I have 
heard or. a line, calm morning, the sad and wolfish call of the solitary 
Loon, 'vhich, like a dismal echo, seems slowiy to evade the ear, and 
rkiing as it proceeds, dies away in the air. This boding sound to 
irariners. supposed to be indicative of a storm, may be heard some- 



240 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

ciiiios for two or three miles, when the bird itself is invisible, o\ 
reduced almost to a speck in the distance." 

The stomach-contents of seven Loons, captured during the winter 
months in Chester, Delaware, Clinton and Lehigh counties. Pa., ccai- 
sisted entirely of fish bones and scales; two other specimens, pur- 
chaffed in the wiiilci- of 1S81 froiu a iiiiinc dealer in Philadelphia, 
werij found to have fed on small seeds and portions of plants, ap- 
parently roots. Individuals of this species are, it is said, so-metimes 
found in the Hudson Bay region weighing as much as fifteen or six- 
teen pounds apiece. Tlie female is somewhat smaller than the male. 
The weight of three females taken in Pennsylvania in the early 
spring ranged from seven to seven and three-quarters pounds each, 
and two males, one taken on the Lehigh river, in the fall, the other 
captured in Warren county, on the Allegheny river, in the spring, 
tipped the scales each time at nine and three-quarter pounds. 

THE BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. • 

Next to the Green Eleron the Night Heron is unquestionably the 
most abundant of the family in this State. The adult birds arc 
easily distinguished from other herons by the black feathers on ri»p 
of head and back, red eyes, and frequently three long, fine while 
feathers, which grx)w from the base of the head. The appellation, 
Night Heiou, is highly api>i'opriate, asi the bird is strictly nocturnal 
in its habits. During the daytime the Night Heron is inactive, and 
generally is found i)erched on a log or Ihe limb of a tree in a quiet 
nook about the swauipe and streams. As twilight approacheg, this 
drowsy wadC'' becomes, fis it were, a new being, impelled, no doubt, 
by the pangs o-f hunger; he stands erect, the loose and shaggy plu- 
mage, which b«-fore .seemed ill adapted to his body now fits nea: and 
closely aa he carefully wallrs to the extremity of the dead and decor- 
ticated limb Oil whieli lie lias been dozing, and suddenlv with a loud 
squak launches himself mto the air, utteiing at short intervals hid 
harsh note, and. rising above the tre(?s in the forest, he speedily 
visits some mill dam. These birds arrive in Pennsylvania about 
the 25th cf April jind remain until the latter part of September. 
They seem to repair at once on their arrival in spring to localities 
where they are accustomed to breed. After the breeding season, i. 
e., about the middle of August, when the young are amply able to 
provide for themselves, these birds forsake their nesting places and 
ber'otne quite plenliful along the rivers, streams and bushy marshes. 

The Night Heron rarely, if ever, breeds singly, but always in 
large companies. I have visited, on different occasions, two of these 
breeding resorts and found from twenty-five to seventy-five nests, 
which like most of the other species, were built of stick and placed 
usually in high trees. In Berks county, near Blue Rock, for manv 
years rbis s]»ecies annually retf^red their young in the edge of a 



No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 241 

large woods along the margin of which there was a gocd-sized 
sti'ea]ii. In this place many of the nests were built in a bunch of 
saplings, some fifteen or twenty feet high and so small in diameter 
tluit it was impossible to climb them. 

Wilson has very properly said that the noise of the old and young 
in one of these breeding places would induce one to suppose that two 
or three hundred Indians were choking and throttling each other. 
The same writer in referring to examinations which he made, states 
that the teeth of the pectinated claw were thirty-live to forty in 
number, and, as they contained particles of the down of the bird, 
showed evidently from this circunistance that they act the part of a 
comb to rid the bird of vermin in those parts which it cannot reach 
with its bill. The late Isaac G. Darlington, of West Chester, some 
years ago had large numbers of gold fishes in a pond near his resi- 
dence. One day Mr. Darlington caught twenty-five of these fish and 
I)laced them in a small pool, intending to remove them the folloAviug 
morning. "About bedtime," Mr. D. said, *'I heard a loud squawking, 
and on going out saw two Night Herons actively engaged in catch- 
ing these fish. 

"I shot one of these robbers, which you there see mounted, on the 
bookcase, and on making an investigation found only one of the 
fish remaining." 

"An accident may illustrate the habits of the Night Heron, and 
perhaps of the whole family. A Night Heron had been noticed for 
several days sitting on a tree near a branch of Wliite Clay creek. It 
was at length shot and brought to me, with the tail of a large fish 
in'ojecting four inches beyond its bill. On removing the fish (a sucker 
(^atostomus, which must have been twelve inches long), its head 
and shoulders, except the bony portions, were eaten away by the 
gastric liquor of the stomach." — Michener. 

1 have examined the stomachs of twenty odd of these herons, adult 
and young, which have been shot in June at the breeding grounds, 
and found in all only the remains of fishes. In two or three im- 
mature birds, taken in August and September, I have discovered a 
few grasshoppers and portions of insects. 

BELTED KINGFISHER. 

Kinarfishers are common along our rivers, streams and ponds, 
about which they are found at all seasons, unless forced to migrate 
southward by excessively cold weather. The loud and harsh cry of 
this bird, as Wilson has properly stated, is not unlike the noise 
made by twirling a watchman's rattle. "It is uttered while moving 
from place to place, always on being disturbed, and even sometimes 
when he is about to plunge into the water for fish. But especially 

10-17-07 



242 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

is it lieaid .it iiij;ht wlicii the iiialc bird is ri^'luriiinu, to tlie nest witif 
food foT his mate and young." — Gentry. 

Their eggs are deposited in holes which they excavate in sides of 
banks, usually about the streams and ponds they frequent. On 
several occasions I have disoovei*ed their nests in high embank- 
ments along public roads, railroad cuts and oFd quarries. The ex- 
cavations vary greatly in depth, but average four or five feet; occa- 
siorally you find one straight; commonly, however, they are directed 
)tO the right or left of the main opening and terminate in quite a 
large cavity. The eggs (1.30 by 1.06 inches) are white and usually 
six in number, although 1 have seen, in several instances, seven. The 
egg>i, according to my obserA^ation, are invariably deposited on the 
bare earth. Mr. Gentry, however, tells us that he has "in many in- 
stances known them to be deposited in a warm and cosy nest con- 
structed of dried grasses and feathers." 

Kingfishers feed almost entirely on fish. Their proficiency in 
catching small fish is such that they are in bad repute among the 
owners and proprietors of trout and carp ponds. Two gentlemen of 
my acquaintance were so greatly annoyed by the loss of gold fish and 
trout, which had been sustained from the regular visits of several 
pairs of these birds, that they adopted the following means for their 
destructiO'n: Stakes were driven about the ponds in several places; 
the tops of the stakes were sufficiently large to support steel Iraps 
which were set but not baited. The biids on visitino- the ])()nds 
would invariably fly to one of the stakes and alight. In less than 
one week, ten or twelve kingfishers were in this way trapped and 
killed. A friend, some few years ago, informed me that he caught 
one of these birds on a hook and line while fishing in the Brandy- 
v^in*.'. near Chadd's Ford. My informant said he had a live bait 
(minnow) on his hook, and he was winding up his line on the reel, 
when he saw a kini>fisher plunge into 1lie water at liis bait, which it 
not only caught, but at tlie same time liooked and entangled itself so 
that it could not escape. 

One day Mr. B. M. Everhardt. of West Chester, Pa., found a king- 
fisher lying on the bank of a. small stream. On making an investi- 
gation, Mr. Everhart ascertained that the bird was unable to fly, as 
its bill was tightly clasped in the grasp of a large fresih-water mus- 
sel. I have heard of two or three instances where kingfishers have 
been captured under similar circumstances, which would naturally 
lead one to suppose that they feed to a limited degree on the flesh 
of these bivalves. According to certain writei's. this species is said 
to feed occasionally, though rarely, on insects. Mr. E. A. Sanm 'Is 
states Ihat he once shot a kingfisher which had just seized a mouse. 

The writer has examined the stomach-contents of thirty-eight of 
these birds which have been taken about streams and mill-ponds 
of llii^ Stnt" dni'in'z rhe past ten years. Tliirtyeix stomachs con- 




■^:^-^' ^ 




BLUE JAY 



No. 17. FISH COMMISSIONERS. 248 

laiued only the remains of fish; one bird had, in addition to small 
brook trout, a large water beetle in its stomach. The viscera of the 
rrniainins kiuiilisher was empty. 

Mr. C. K. Sober, of Lewisburg, Pa., found in the viscera of a single 
kingfisher which he shot along Baker run, a tamous brook trout 
stream in Clintc-n county, no less than thirteen small trout fry. Mr. 
Sober, as well as many other sportsmen, who are familiar with the 
liabits of the kingfisher, assert that these birds destroy immense 
<HiaL!tities of trout. 

It is a fact well known to every man who does much trout fishing 
j'long our mountain si roams, that Kingfishers are almost always to 
be O'bserved in no small number about such places, and as they are 
voracious feeders there can be no question but what tlhey will, during 
their sojourn in such places, commit great havoc to trout or other 
fish. 

Some years ago an acquaintance of the writer 'had a pond in 
AA'hich he had a large number of gold fish. Two pairs of Kingfishers 
had their nests in a sand quarry near the pond. These birds in one 
summer made daily visits to the pond and destroyed nearly all the 
small-sized fish in the place. 

The disposition on the part of a large number of the citizens of 
tliis State in favor of bounties for the heads of different birds and 
mammals, is very marked. There are unquestionably several spe- 
<i( s of hav\ks and owls and a few mammals which do much damage 
to the agricultural and game interests. Unfortunately, however, 
tlierp is so little attention paid by the masses to the subject of birds 
'■uvl mammals that when bounty acts are passed it usually happens 
that great numbers of beneficial species are slain because the 
hunters aie unable to distinguish one species from another. In 
the early part of February last a circular was sent out by the Game 
Ccmnrission to sportsmen throughout the State. Among the ques- 
tions as^ked was the following: 

"Are you in favor of a bountv on thp King-fisher?" 

In reply to this (luestion it was learned from about sixteen hun- 
dred answi-rs received that fully one thousand persons who replied 
to the qi<erry favored a bounty for this bird. A number of the 
correspondents claimed that Kingfishers destroyed great numbers 
of brook trout as well as other fish. 

BLI'E JAY. 

The Blue Jay is found in Pennsylvania during all seasons of the 
year, but in the autumn and summer months this species is much 
more plentiful than at other periods. This lt)eautiful bird is an 
inhabitant chiefly of forests. During the breeding season the Jays 
associate in pairs, but in the late summer and autumn it is not un- 
usual to find them in small flocks. I have seen on several occ.isions 



244 REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

as maay as twenty-live of these birds feeding in beech, chestnut or 
cedai- trees. Botli sexes engage in nest-building, which, in this 
latitude, is begnn about the 20th of April. A nest which I saw the 
birds building was completed in five days. The nest, a strong bulky 
structure, composed chiefly of twigs and fine roots, is placed com- 
monly in a tree in the woods; sometimes, though rarely in this 
locality, nests are built in low bushes. The eggs, four to -ix in 
number, mostly five, are greenish or brownish-gray, spotted with 
brown. Length about 1.15 inches, width .84 of an inch. In Florida 
the Blue Jay nests some five or six weeks earlier than in this lati- 
tude; at least I suppose this to be the case, as I luive seen these birds 
collecting sticks, etc.. as early as the first week in March. 

In reference to the food of this species. Mr. E. A. Samuels writes 
as follow-s: "Its fc-od is more varied than that of almost any other 
bird that we have. In winter the berries of the cedar, barberry or 
black-thorn, with the few eggs or cocoons of insects tliat it is able to 
find, constitute its chief sustenance. In early si»rin<i' the opening 
buds of shrubs, caterpillars and other insects, aiTord it a meager 
diet. Later in the spring, and through tlie greater part of summer, 
the eggs and yo'ung of the smaller birds constitute its chief food, 
varied by a few insects and early berries. Later in the summer, 
and in early autumn, small fruits, grains and a few insects afford it a 
bountiful provender; and later in the autumn w^hen the frosts have 
burst open the burs of chestnuts and beechnuts and exposed the 
brown ripe fruit to view these form a palatable and acceptable 
food, and a large share of these delicious nuts fall to the portion 
of these busy and garrulous birds*" 

The Blue Jay is a notorious destroyer of bird's nests; while the 
eggs and young of the smaller species which nest in trees are 
usually attacked by the robber-jays, they often hunt out and despoil 
the homes of ground nesting species. The eggs and young of pheas- 
ants are frequently destroyed by Jays. While it is true tfiat the 
Blue Jay destroys a good many noxious insects, there is nO' doubt 
but w^hat this bird does a great deal of harm by devouring the eggs 
and young of numerous beneficial song and insectivoirous birds. 
Like the crow and common blackbird the Blue Jay occasionally re- 
ji'jirs to shallow water to catch small fish on which it will fcedj 
Seme years ago Mr. 0. K, Sober, a member of our Game Oommission, 
was fishing for trout along one of the streams in Centre county, 
when he say a Blue Jay along the water's edge trying to catch fish. 
A few minutes after seeing the bird Mr. Sober hooked a smalbsized 
trout and caught his line in a bush: and when he was endeavoring 
to untangle his line he was surprised to see the Jay fly down to the 
bush w^here the hook, line and fish were caught, and seize the irout 
and endeavor to carrv it awav. 



No. 17. FISH COMMJgSlONERS. 245 

Aiulubon writing of the Blue Jay says: "It robs every nest it can 
find, sucks the eggs like the crow, or tears to pieces and devours the 
young birds, A friend once wounded a pheasant and marked the 
direction which it followed, but had not proceeded two hundred jards 
in pursuit, w^hen he heard something fluttering in the bushes, aid 
found his bird belabored by two Blue Jays who were picking out its 
eyes. The same person once put a flying squirrel into the cage of one 
of these birds, merely to preserve it for one night; but on looking into 
the cage about eleven o'clock next day he found the mammal partly 
eaten. A Blue Jay in Charleston destroyed all tbe birds in an 
aviary." 

MAMMALS WHICH EAT FISH. 

Wild cats, raccoons and muskrats all, it is claimed, catch fish, 
yet the damage they do in this direction does not, from reports at 
hand, appear to be worthy of particular notice. 

The greatest damage done by muskrats seems to be caused by the 
injury to dams and fish ponds caused by their subterranean passages, 
rather than to their fondness for the flesh of the finny inhabitants. 
The food of the muskrat is, from the writer's observation, chieily 
of a vegetable character. In fact numerous reports are on file in 
the writer's possession, showing that in some portions of our ?itate 
muskrats do considerable damage every year to com and other crops 
in the vicinity of the streams and ponds whicli they inhabit. 

The Mink and Otter, however, are both great devoiirers of fish, and 
the former unquestionably is a serious hindrance at times to fish 
culture. 

The Otter, chiefly piscivorous in habit, does compnratively little 
damage because there are so few of these shy and valuable fur- 
bearing animals within the limits of our State. According to the 
statements of various fur dealers in this Commonwealth, not over 
fifty otters are annually captured in Penn.sylvania. 

THE MINK. 

It is not a pretty animal with its long, low. flat head, small eyes, 
ears so tiny as to be hardly longer than the fur, with stiff, strong 
bristley whiskers, w^hich grow not only in the ordinary way, but 
beliind the eyes, middle of shin, and on wrists and ankles. Hia 
snout, devoid of hairy covering, is prominent and inquisitive and his 
feet are semi-palmate and broad, with palms and soles furry around 
the pads. His body long and rat-like, covered with "densely soft and 
matted fur, is mixed with long, stiff and lustrous hairs." This cov- 
ering is sometimes a light yellowish brown and changes from this 
to a rich blackish, chocolate brcwn for black.) A patch of white 
usually occupies its under jaw, and occasionally we find such patches 
on its under parts, and in rare cases the ti]> of its bu.shy and some- 
iwhat tapering tail is white. 



246 REI'ORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

'Tis a wonderfully strong animal considering its weight, which 
averages in an adult two pounds. Water is as much its home as the 
land, and its depredations in both are of great annoyancei and griev- 
ance to fishermen and farmers alike. How they are disliked by the 
farmers. The mountain streams are sources of vast revenue to these 
pests, for the pretty, gamey trout yield up their lives iii number to 
them, proving Mr. Mink to be an epicure. 

His home is usually to be found along streams and marshy 
grounds and his voracious appetite is helped to partial satisfaction 
by the birds which inhabit such haunts and which nest on and near 
the ground. He doesn't confine himself to birds and fish alone, but 
I'eptiles are one of the courses of his long continued and frequently 
taken meals. Some fifty letters from different parts of Pennsylvania 
tell of his nocturnal wanderings, so disastro-us to the poultry yards. 
Twenty chickens in one night seems a good many, but from Hon. A. 
L. Martin, Lawrence county, we hear of a mink (a blacis one by the 
way) who made way with thirty-seven chickens, eight weeks old, 
in one night. Mr. L. C, Oberlin, of Indiana county, writes that they 
will in one night kill as many as forty chickens and turkeys; and 
numerous are the complaints and many are the demands for bounties 
on these rniserable, blood-thirsty creatures. They cut the throats of 
their jjrey, suck the blood and in many cases leave the bodies un- 
eaten. A letter from S. S. Thomas, Susquehanna county, shows 
their neatness and cleverness. The continued disappearance of a 
number of catfish caused their whilom owners to investigate care- 
fully for the cause and piled up under a log he discovered the bodies 
of twenty of the missing fish. A trap caught the miscreant and 
ended the thefts. 

Eggs he eats wholesale and wholly, not sucking them, but taking 
them in their entirety. Minks are not without their use, however, 
for their fine, soft thick fur has its market value and in consequence 
he is much so-ught after by fur-dealers. 

NOTES ON FOOD OF MINKS. 

The following extracts concerning the fish-eating habits of the 
Mink are taken from letters received by the writer from farmers, 
fishermen and naturalists residing in various sections of Pennsylva- 
nia. 

>'R. PTFPSON, DYSERT, PA.: 

Minks destroy an immense amount of trout here. They catch 
them after they run them under a stone or log, when they have them 
cornered. I, on one occasion, trailed a mink that caught from fifteen 
to twenty trout in one night and eat part of each. 



No. 17. FISJI COMMISSION PJRS. 247 

MR. A. W. RHOADS, WILKES-BARRE, PA.: 

I have personal knowledge of the catching of fish by Mink and 
raccoon ; they dive for them in shallow waters. 

MR ARTHUR MARTIN, SANDY LAKE, PA.: 

Minks have killed some fish for us in ponds. 

HON. GKRARD C. BROWN, YORKANA, PA.: 

Minks are still around brooks and are good fishers. A Mink 
won't take long to clean out a small trout pond. 

HON. JOHN M. BUCKAT.EW, FISHING CREEK. COLUMBIA CO., PA.: 

Minks destroy fish; sink down in the water to catch and come up 
to the surface to consume. Minks are numerous and a damage to 
the communities where found. 

MR. SAMUEL M. DOWNS, MAUCH CHUNK, PA.: 

I have no personal knowledge, but reports of the mink depreda- 
tions to fish are common; having a semi-palmated loot and bein;,' 
expert swimmers and divers, they experience little difficulty in cap- 
turing the prey. 

MR. FRED. F. WELD. SUGAR GROVE, WARREN COUNTY, PA.: 

I have occasionally seen dead fish along Stillwater creek, killed 
and partially eaten by Minks, but have never observed their method 
of capture. 

MR. E. W. CAMPBELL, WEST PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO., PA.: 

Trout have been killed by Minks, as they have been caught at it. 

MR. H. C. KIRKPATRICK, MEADVILLE, CRAWFORD CO., PA.: 

I have only seen the Mink fishing once. When duck shooting in 
Oonneaut Marsh, I noticed a great coinmotion in the water just be- 
neath an oak tree which overhung the water. Thinking it might be 
a vood duck, I made a large circle and came out under the tree: 
cra^^'ling up to where I could look over the bank I saw a large Mink 
about ten feet from me; it seemed to be hunting in the weeds for 
something; in a moment it disappeared under the water; in about 
fifteen or twenty seconds it reappeared with something in its mouth 
and swimming to shore jumped out on the bank where it shook it as 
a dog shakes a rat. After it was apparently dead the mink dropped 
it and sniffed around it a few times and disappeared in the under- 
brusli. Then I went to where the objct was lying and found it 1o 
be a large species of Salamander about one foot long. Although 
they are not a fish it illustrates to a certain extent the mink's manner 
of fishing for that kind of game. 



24S REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 

OTTO BEHR, LOPEZ, PUI.I.IVAN COUNTY, PA. • 

Minks are xerj good fishers. Saw one come out of an open riffle 
in winter with a large trout in its mouth which it had caught acrcnss 
its back; on another occasion I caught one dragging a good-sized eel 
along in the snow. Thej sometimes get into chicken coops and kill 
a dozen or more fowls in a single night. 

W. J. STULT., COALPORT, CLEARFIED CO., PA.: 

"Slv. Thomas Millen informs me that a Mink has taken qnite a 
number of fish from his fish pond by diiving or plunging after them. 

PAUL SWINGLE, SOUTH CANAAN, WAYNE COUNTY, PA.: 

Minks are very destructive to fish; they swim through the water 
and catch them. 

S. S. THOMAS, LYNN, SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, PA.: 

A few years ago I had a large number of catfish and one eel in a 
box in my spring drain. Their continual disappearance (the eel 
among the rest) surprised me, but I one day discoyered as many as 
twenty of the bull-heads (catfish) piled up under a log nearby. A 
steel trap stopped the theft and added half a dollar to the yodng.-^tf.r's 
j)0pket money in the Avay of Mink bounty. 

ZIBA SCOTT, SPRING BROOK, LACKAWANNA CO., PA.: 

The Mink likes fish; brook trout suits him best if he can get 
them. He is an expert swimmer; goes under the water and catches 
them easily. T have shot two within the past year with trout in 
their mouths. The last one had a trout eight inches long. 

C. P. MOTT. MILFORD, PIKE CO., PA.: 

Minks undoubtedly kill many fish. 

GEARY C. BELL, MAPLEWOOD, WAYNE CO., PA.: 

A Mink got into a carp pond last winter and destroyed a great 
many carp, some of which were nearly two feet long. 

J. B. OVIATT, NORWICH, McKEAN CO., PA.: 

Have often seen where Minks have caught fish in winter time 
and have brought them on shore and eat or hid them. Minks have 
no trouble in catching fish when the water is Ic-w. 

J. C. HEYLER, NAUVOO, TIOGA COUNTY, PA.: 

Minks destroy poultry and birds, but the greatest damage done 
by tliem is to brook trout, which is their principal living: they also 
catch other fish, but trout is their favo-rite fish diet. 

H. C. DORWORTH, OIL CITY, VENANGO CO.. PA.: 

Have seen a Mink catch a trout in one of our neighboring streams, 
in the winter, by diving under the overhanging bank (where the trout 



No. 17. FISH COMAJIKSjONERS. 249 

•usually stay in winter) and catch the trout as they attempted to 
swim past him. Minks, two years ago, killed all the carp, forty in 
number, in a pond in Sage run. As these fish work down into the 
mud .in winter, the minks 1 nd no difficulty in catching them. 

GEORGE FRANC, ARIEL, WATXE CO., PA.: 

The Mink destroys tisli, ]!ai'ticulaily brook trout, and he is also 
very destuctive to domestic fowls, especially chickens. 

EMU. TJL.RICH, STROUDSBURG, MONROE CO., PA.: 

Minks destroy fish, particularly brook trout, and they usually 
catch the largest onesi they find in the deep holes. 

JOHN KELLOW, CARLEY BROOK, WAYNE CO., PA.: 

jMinks are at home under the water where they readily capture 
fish. They annually destroy great numbers of trout. 

"W. R. PARKS, ATHENS, BRADFORD CO., PA.: 

Minks are expert fishermen. They kill large numbers of tro it. I 
once shot a Mink with a larire trout in its mouth. 

From these quotations it will be seen that Minks unquestionably 
are great destroyers of fish. While it is well known that they will 
catch and feed upon almoist any species o-f the finny tribe whicfi they 
can secure, these amphibious animals have, there is little doubt, a 
preference for the toothsome and beautiful brook trout. The nura- 
iK^r of Iront which blinks annually Icill about our mountain streams 
is no doubt considerable. 




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